Magnetic top roll support guide



March 1964 E. E. STIEPEL ETAL 3,124,845

United States Patent F 3,124,845 MAGNETIC TOP ROLL SUPPORT GUIDE Erhard E. Stiepel and Christoph W. Aurich, Clemson, S.C., assignors to Saco-Lowell Shops, Clemson, S.C., a corporation of Maine Filed Mar. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 183,166 Claims. (Cl. 19--295) The present invention relates to support and guide means for drafting elements used in textile machines such as roving and spinning frames and the like. More particularly the present invention relates to a roll rider device which supports and guides magnetic top rolls used in such machines.

One of the problems encountered in the use of magnetic rolls as drafting elements is the difiiculty of providing uniform pressure on the sliver being processed thereby. Any variation of pressure during the drafting process causes a correspondingly varying quality in the sliver or thread thereby produced. To assure an even pressure therefore very close tolerances in attaining concentricity between the pole pieces, cots, and gudgeons of a standard magnetic roll are necessitated, as well as between the various means supporting the gudgeons of adjacent rolls. These tolerances are difficult to attain, particularly as to alignment of adjacent rolls with one another in order to achieve the desired degree of concentricity.

It is to this problem that the present invention in part directs itself. It is thus a major object of this invention to eliminate the necessity of using gudgeons and their necessary bearing supports in magnetic top rolls and thus to dispose of one cause of the eccentricity of pressure encountered with the use of magnetic drafting rolls.

It is a further object of this invention to eliminate the necessity for using expensive bearings and other support members in conjunction with magnetic drafting rolls.

To accomplish the purposes of this invention, top roll supports comprising roll rider devices are provided to support and guide the magnetic top rolls of a drafting mechanism. The roll rider device is made of a non-magnetic material, preferably a plastic, characterized by its relative strength and low friction surface properties. from a stationary frame element where a lip portion of the rider or a locating screw is provided adapted to prevent forward motion of said rider. The rider thence curves about and rides upon the upper portion of a bottom roll. Support means or horns, extending upwardly from the front portion of said rider, curve about to support and guide the lower portion of a magnetic top roll.

Other features, advantages, and objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of two specific embodiments thereof together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation in section of the drafting elements of a standard textile machine employing two embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view of a portion of FIG. 2 along the line 3--3 showing one embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 4 show alternative embodiments of the present invention. The roll rider device shown in FIG. 1 is shown in cross section in FIG. 2 used in conjunction with the front or The rider has an S curved portion which extends 3,124,845 Patented Mar. 17., 1964 delivery rolls 15, 19 of a standard textile processing machine. The embodiment disclosed in FIG. 4 is also shown in cross section in FIG. 2 used in conjunction with the rear or holding rolls 25, 29 of said machine.

It will be noted that the roll rider devices there disclosed each have generally curved members 10 which extend from stationary frame elements 17, 27 positioned to the rear of the bottom rolls 15, 25 with which the devices are to be employed. The curved members 10 of the devices extend over and around the upper and forward portions of the bottom rolls 15, 25 and there terminate. In the preferred embodiment of this invention the portion of the device which rides upon the bottom rolls 15, 25 conforms to the configuration of the bottom rolls, thus to prevent undue local wear from the friction encountered when the rolls are rotated. The devices thus have a generally concave surface which rides upon and is supported by the bottom rolls 15, 25. Extending outwardly from the curved means 1th of the devices adjacent the front of the bottom rolls 15, 25 are support members, shown in the drawings as two spaced horns 14A, 14B which curve in concave fashion upwardly to support the magnetic top rolls 19, 29. Thus, the devices may be thought of as S shaped devices having integrally formed, opposed concave surfaces. Ordinarily the support means extend from the devices and support the top rolls at a point located below the uppermost portion of the bottom rolls. Thus, gravity may be utilized to prevent the rotary movement of the top rolls from disclocating the top rolls rearward. Of course supplemental means may be provided if desired to accomplish or to aid in the accomplishment of this same result.

Holding means are provided to maintain the devices in their pre-determined positions. In one embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such holding means may comprise a shoulder screw or bolt 13 extending through a hole 11 in the portion of said rider, adjacent the stationary frame element 17, and into said frame element. In another embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, such holding means may comprise an integrally-formed inverted lip portion 12 of the rider adapted to grasp the lower portion of the stationary frame element 27.

To provide axial stability for the roll rider device, grooves 16, 26 having a depth less than the thickness of the roll rider device, are, in the preferred embodiment, provided on the bottom rolls 15, 25 adjacent the processing surfaces 18A, 18B, 28 of the bottom rolls 15,

25. Corresponding grooves 20, 30 are provided in the top rolls 19, 29 and the roll rider device has suflicient thickness to protrude into the grooves 20, 30 of the top rolls 19, 2,9. The width of the roll rider device corresponds to the widths of the grooves 16, 20, 26, 30. Thus the device is located axially by the bottom roll groove 16, 26 and the device in turn locates the top rolls 19, 29 as its convex surface of the portion overlying the bottom rolls protrudes into the top roll grooves 20, 30.

In some circumstances, the axial stability supplied by the shoulder screw '13, may be deemed suflicien-t, or, alternatively, axial stability may be provided by placing the roll rider in recesses which may be placed in the stationary frame elements 17, 27 In either such case, the recesses 16, 26 in the bottom rolls 15, 25 may be omitted as they are then iargely superfluous.

In some cases it may be deemed desirable to provide one or more narrow roll rider devices to support a single top roll. In this event, a plurality of grooves may be provided in the top and bottom rolls, corresponding to the width of such devices, or cross bars or the like may be provided between such devices to provide the requisite axial stability.

As is shown in FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the groove 20, 30 of the top roll is defined by raised pole pieces 22A, 22B, 32 of the magnetic top roll 19, 29. Adjacent the pole pieces 22A, 22B, 32 and outward thereof are the cots or processing surfaces 24A, 24B, 34 of the top roll 19, 29. The horns 14A, 14B of the roll rider device support the magnetic top roll at the pole pieces.

Preferably the roll rider device is formed of a plastic material, selected for its characteristics of strength and low friction surface properties, such as a poly-formaldehyde resin manufactured by DuPont under the trade name DeIr-in." Such a material provides the necessary strength while reducing friction and wear to a minimum.

This invention eliminates the need for gudgeons, bearings, and other support members. Thus one of the greatest causes of eccentricity of roll pressure encountered with the use of magnetic drafting elements is eliminated.

The specific examples heretofore set forth are in no way intended to limit the scope of the appended claims as many variations and modifications of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A support for a magnetic top roll in a textile processing machine frame having said magnetic top roll, provided with spaced processing surfaces, and a supported bottom roll, provided with spaced processing surfaces for co-action with those of said top roll, at least one of said top and bottom rolls having a groove between the said processing surfaces thereof comprising:

-a curved member of rigid material having a lower concave surface adapted to ride upon said bottom roll between the said processing surfaces thereof and in said groove,

said curved member having a width extending substantially throughout the width of said groove,

support means extending upwardly in concave configuration from said curved member, adjacent said bottom roll, adapted to support and guide said top roll at a position between said processing surfaces thereof, and

holding means adapted to coast with said frame for maintaining said support in a predetermined position.

2. The support claimed in claim 1 wherein said support means extends forwardly as well as upwardly from said curved member and wherein it extends from adjacent the forward portion of said bottom roll.

3. The support claimed in claim 2 wherein said concave surfaces of said curved member and said support means form a generally 8 shaped support comprising arcs of two tangential roll circles.

4. A support for a magnetic top roll in a textile processing machine frame having said magnetic top roll, provided with spaced processing surfaces, a suppoited bottom roll, provided with spaced processing surfaces for coaction with those of said top roll, at least one of said top and bottom rolls having a groove between the said processing surfaces thereof and a stationary frame element behind said bottom roll, comprising:

a curved member of rigid material extending from said frame element to said bottom roll and having a lower, downwardly extending concave surface adapted to ride upon said bottom roll between the said processing surfaces thereof and in said groove,

said curved member having a width extending substantially throughout the width of said groove,

support means extending forwardly and upwardly in concave configuration from said curved member, adjacent the forward portion of said bottom roll, adapted to support and guide said top roll at positions between said processing surfaces thereof, and

holding means adapted to co-act with said frame element for maintaining said support means in a predetermined position.

5. The support claimed in claim 4 wherein said top and bottom rolls each are provided with a groove between their processing surfaces and wherein a portion of said curved member is adapted to extend from said bottom roll groove into said top roll groove, said curved member having widths corresponding to the Widths of said top and bottom roll grooves and being thus adapted to co -act with said top and bottom roll grooves to provide axial stability for said top roll.

6. A support for a magnetic top roll in a textile processing machine frame having said magnetic top roll, provided with spaced processing surfaces and a groove therebetween, a supported and dniven bottom roll, provided with spaced processing surfaces for co-action with those of said top roll and a groove therebetween, and a stationary frame clement positioned behind said bottom roll, comprising:

a curved member of strong, rigid material, having the characteristics of substantially frictionless surface area, extending from said stationary frame element to said bottom roll and having a downwardly extending concave surface conforming to the configuration of said bottom roll, said concave surface extending about and resting upon the upper and forward portion of said bottom roll in its said groove,

support means extending forwardly and upwardly in concave configuration from said curved member, adjacent the front portion of said bottom roll, adapted to support and guide said top rolls at positions between said processing surfaces thereof, the terminal portions of said support means being positioned on a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said bottom roll, and

holding means adjacent said frame element adapted to co-act therewith for maintaining said support means in a predetermined position,

said curved member having widths corresponding to the widths of said top and bottom roll grooves and a portion of said curved member being adapted to extend from said bottom roll groove into said top roll groove, said curved member being thus adapted to co-act with said top and bottom roll grooves to provide axial stability for said top roll.

7. The support claimed in claim 6 wherein said holding means comprises hole means in said curved member adjacent said frame element and a screw adapted to extend through said hole into said frame element.

8. The support claimed in claim 6 wherein said holding means comprises an inverted lip means of said curved member adjacent said frame element, adapted to grasp said stationary frame element.

9. The support claimed in claim 6 wherein said support means comprise a pair of horns extending from said curved member.

10. The support claimed in claim 6 wherein the lowest portion of said top roll is positioned forward of and below the uppermost portion of said bottom roll and wherein said support means support said top roll at a point below the uppermost portion of said bottom roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 880,068 Farrar Feb. 25, 1908 2,133,657 Devaux Oct. 18, 1938 2,399,006 Dakin Apr. 23, 1946 2,547,485 Norcross Apr. 3, 1951 2,951,266 Burnham Sept. 6, 1960 3,003,196 Swanson Oct. 10, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 879,063 France Nov. 10, 1942 336,299 Switzerland Mar. 31, 1959 

6. A SUPPORT FOR A MAGNETIC TOP ROLL IN A TEXTILE PROCESSING MACHINE FRAME HAVING SAID MAGNETIC TOP ROLL, PROVIDED WITH SPACED PROCESSING SURFACES AND A GROOVE THEREBETWEEN, A SUPPORTED AND DRIVEN BOTTOM ROLL, PROVIDED WITH SPACED PROCESSING SURFACES FOR CO-ACTION WITH THOSE OF SAID TOP ROLL AND A GROOVE THEREBETWEEN, AND A STATIONARY FRAME ELEMENT POSITIONED BEHIND SAID BOTTOM ROLL, COMPRISING: A CURVED MEMBER OF STRONG, RIGID MATERIAL, HAVING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTANTIALLY FRICTIONLESS SURFACE AREA, EXTENDING FROM SAID STATIONARY FRAME ELEMENT TO SAID BOTTOM ROLL AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CONCAVE SURFACE CONFORMING TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID BOTTOM ROLL, SAID CONCAVE SURFACE EXTENDING ABOUT AND RESTING UPON THE UPPER AND FORWARD PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM ROLL IN ITS SAID GROOVE, SUPPORT MEANS EXTENDING FORWARDLY AND UPWARDLY IN CONCAVE CONFIGURATION FROM SAID CURVED MEMBER, ADJACENT THE FRONT PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM ROLL, ADAPTED TO SUPPORT AND GUIDE SAID TOP ROLLS AT POSITIONS BETWEEN SAID PROCESSING SURFACES THEREOF, THE TERMINAL PORTIONS OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING POSITIONED ON A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BOTTOM ROLL, AND HOLDING MEANS ADJACENT SAID FRAME ELEMENT ADAPTED TO CO-ACT THEREWITH FOR MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION, SAID CURVED MEMBER HAVING WIDTHS CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTHS OF SAID TOP AND BOTTOM ROLL GROOVES AND A PORTION OF SAID CURVED MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO EXTEND FROM SAID BOTTOM ROLL GROOVE INTO SAID TOP ROLL GROOVE, SAID CURVED MEMBER BEING THUS ADAPTED TO CO-ACT WITH SAID TOP AND BOTTOM ROLL GROOVES TO PROVIDE AXIAL STABILITY FOR SAID TOP ROLL. 